Canucks Cody Hodgson: January 2012 NHL Rookie Of The Month

COHO – Making Hard Look Easy

With the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks select…

As they say, the rest is history and Cody Hodgson, 3rd line center for the Vancouver Canucks is making exactly that this season.

Only a few times in history has a Canuck player come close to winning the Calder Trophy, so when CoHo was announced this morning as the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January, you have to think he has cemented himself as another one of those.

We can’t forget Pavel Bure who won the award in 1992 but who else can we now compare “Silent G” to?

The one man Hodgson was initially compared to upon being drafted was Trevor Linden. Yes, Captain Canuck himself. Linden placed second in Calder Trophy voting to Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers in 1989.

He led the team that season with 59 points (30G, 29A) and was the first Canucks rookie to score 30 goals.

Next in Line?

Cody would have to go on a tear in the final 32 games of the season if he hopes to up his 14 goals to 30 but even if he does not achieve that mark, we can surely say he is his way to being a leader for this team in seasons to come.

Not that Henrik is going to give up his captaincy but keep in mind Trevor was made Captain at 21 and in his 4th season.

Should things go the right way and by that I mean Cody remains a Canuck, and one of the Canucks’ current A’s retires or is moved, Hodgson could be in line to fill in that role.

Taking a look at Henrik’s stats that year, he had 9 Goals and 20 assists; a point total that Cody Hodgson has surpassed after just 50 games and without a twin.

I’m not suggesting CoHo has quite the skill set as the twins, but maybe he does and maybe he’s poised for big things.

He can pass, shoot and is sound defensively.

On the same page, Daniel Sedin had 20 goals and 14 assists, a point total Hodgson will almost certainly surpass in the coming weeks.

Vancouver Canucks Assistant Coach Rick Bowness spoke to Hodgson’s league recognition: “He works hard. It’s a well-deserved honour. He has the skill, now he’s gaining the confidence.” – @vancanucks

PERHAPS the most poignant comparison we can make right now is NOT to another past Canuck but believe it or not, a Boston Bruin.

That Beantown Butthead is Tyler Seguin, the 2nd overall pick from the 2010 entry draft.

Both players were outstanding in the Ontario Hockey League and played against each other a few times. They are both playmakers with a taste of sniper in them and we’ve seen that from Cody this season.

His passing is almost second to none and how many times have we seen him either blast a slapper top cheddar or snipe one over the shoulder of an opposing goalie?

I'm not suggesting CoHo has quite the skill set as the twins, but big things are on the horizon...

Stats aren’t everything but they are telling. Tyler Seguin played 74 games last season for Boston and with great players. He recorded 11 goals and 11 assists with a -4 rating.

In a season where Chinook has played in 50 games and is obviously on pace to play all 82, he has smashed Seguin’s rookie point totals. He’s done it in a limited role to boot, playing on the 3rd line and averaging 13 minutes per game.

In addition, Cody is +8, 6th among rookies.

Tyler Seguin has 43 points in 47 games this season so far and to be quite frank, that point total isn’t exactly out of reach for Hodgson this season or a total too high to be expected again next season and at a faster pace. Seguin’s 43 points and 19 goals both lead the Bruins this season.

To further compare Seguin and Hodgson; each won the Red Tilson award for OHL Most Outstanding Player; Hodgson in 2009 and Seguin in 2010.

Hodgson also won the award for CHL outstanding player in 2009.

In my preview for tonight Canucks and Red Wings game, I talked about appreciating the talent we have to marvel at in this city right now and it’s safe to say we could have the talent of another young man to ‘ooo and aww’at for a long time to come.

So what questions do we have going forward?

Will CoHo be the 2nd Canuck to win the Calder?

Will he suffer a sophomore slump?

How will he stack up to past and present Canucks Linden, Bure and the Sedins?

Will he be an All-Star in his 2nd season like Seguin was this year?

Will he win a Stanley Cup in his first season like Seguin?

As they say, time will tell.

“It’s just a blessing to be able to play hockey for your life, your career, your profession,” Hodgson said. “It’s pretty cool to wake up every day and go to the rink. Not everybody gets a chance to do this, and that’s a pretty cool outlook.” – NHL.com story